Tigers Shut Down Colt Keith for Season With Sprained Left Thumb

Detroit placed infielder Colt Keith on the injured list after he played through a thumb injury suffered last week in Toronto.

Detroit Tigers infielder Colt Keith will miss the rest of the season after the team placed him on the 10-day injured list Monday with a sprained left thumb. Keith, wearing a brace on the thumb, said the injury happened when his glove got caught in the netting during a play in last week's series at Toronto.

Keith said he tried to keep playing despite limited strength in his top hand, which made swinging difficult, but agreed to stop once the Tigers were eliminated from playoff contention. He said the injury will not require surgery and that shutting down was the sensible choice to protect his offseason.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Keith told him during the Chicago White Sox series that the injury had fallen below an acceptable level, and that benching him for several days would not have made sense given the recovery timeline of a few weeks.

Keith finished the year with career lows in plate appearances, runs, home runs and RBIs but improved late in the season, posting a .273/.362/.461 line in 177 plate appearances after July 1. The 25-year-old said his offseason goal is to earn an everyday position and add more power.

In other Tigers news, the team had no update on starter Troy Melton, who left a Sept. 20 start with right arm tightness and is still being evaluated. Jack Flaherty, out since July 20 with right flexor inflammation, completed a bullpen session Tuesday and could pitch in Detroit's final series against Pittsburgh.